tractor_morgan Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Everybody, I have a 53'reg'd Defender Crew Cab, which has developed a fault with the drivers door - trying to unlock with the key. I discovered this was due to the door interior panel coming away from the door frame, and the interior door lock mechanism being out of alignment with the door lock, i.e. if you push the interior door panel up to the door frame, the door locks/unlocks perfectly on the key. However, on closer inspection I have discovered that the reason for the interior door panel coming away from the frame, is due to the door frame itself having what appears to be a fatigue crack/tear (breakage) in the top rail, just to the left of where the plastic frame for the door lock knob is screwed to the door (where is changes into a flat'ish rail. Our local land rover dealer suggests that this is not common, but our Defender has only done 60K in four years and is not abused etc. I can't believe it. Has anybody else had a similar experience with Defender drivers doors? I can take a picture if anybody wants to see it. Many Thanks - Peter (tractor_morgan) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrumps Posted January 14, 2008 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Hi Everybody,I have a 53'reg'd Defender Crew Cab, which has developed a fault with the drivers door - trying to unlock with the key. I discovered this was due to the door interior panel coming away from the door frame, and the interior door lock mechanism being out of alignment with the door lock, i.e. if you push the interior door panel up to the door frame, the door locks/unlocks perfectly on the key. However, on closer inspection I have discovered that the reason for the interior door panel coming away from the frame, is due to the door frame itself having what appears to be a fatigue crack/tear (breakage) in the top rail, just to the left of where the plastic frame for the door lock knob is screwed to the door (where is changes into a flat'ish rail. Our local land rover dealer suggests that this is not common, but our Defender has only done 60K in four years and is not abused etc. I can't believe it. Has anybody else had a similar experience with Defender drivers doors? I can take a picture if anybody wants to see it. Many Thanks - Peter (tractor_morgan) Hi, A mate of mine had this happen on a '53 plate 90 HT last year. Door was replaced under warranty. Because of his problem I checked my (old) 90 CSW door and my drivers one was cracked in exactly the same place, just next to the locking button. I put a thin steel plate down between the glass and the cross bar (to protect the glass) and welded it up. I'll be keeping an eye on my (new) '05 CSW for any signs of this. My mate is a builder so his 90 hadn't done a lot of miles but he's probably in and out of it a lot of times a day so I think it's "useage" related not "mileage" related. Hope this helps. Scrumps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_morgan Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hi,A mate of mine had this happen on a '53 plate 90 HT last year. Door was replaced under warranty. Because of his problem I checked my (old) 90 CSW door and my drivers one was cracked in exactly the same place, just next to the locking button. I put a thin steel plate down between the glass and the cross bar (to protect the glass) and welded it up. I'll be keeping an eye on my (new) '05 CSW for any signs of this. My mate is a builder so his 90 hadn't done a lot of miles but he's probably in and out of it a lot of times a day so I think it's "useage" related not "mileage" related. Hope this helps. Scrumps Thanks very much for this, our vehicle is the farm four wheel drive and so it isn't parked up all day long either. If the welded repair is good I'd probably prefer that option than a new door, spraying, time away etc. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NicTheOrange90 Posted January 16, 2008 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Both front doors are cracked on my 02MY 110. IMHO its a design fault, as the inner door grab handle stresses the door steel inner frame whiich is too thin (IMHO of course) The rest of the door frame is fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_morgan Posted January 16, 2008 Author Share Posted January 16, 2008 Both front doors are cracked on my 02MY 110.IMHO its a design fault, as the inner door grab handle stresses the door steel inner frame whiich is too thin (IMHO of course) The rest of the door frame is fine. Thanks for that, it was my feeling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenf Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 The drivers door on my 2002 90CSW has just started rattling really loudly from underneath my right elbow, could this be a broken frame (the vehicle has 6 months warranty remaining from the LR main dealer I bought it from)? Edit - the interior trim panel is loose around the rear edge.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_morgan Posted January 31, 2008 Author Share Posted January 31, 2008 The drivers door on my 2002 90CSW has just started rattling really loudly from underneath my right elbow, could this be a broken frame (the vehicle has 6 months warranty remaining from the LR main dealer I bought it from)?Edit - the interior trim panel is loose around the rear edge.. Thank you for that, all power to my debate with the Land Rover dealer. It sounds like yours is the same. Best Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atlast Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 i'm just about to open my doors up to waxoyl them to try and stop the onset of rust on the bottom of the frame which i believe can be a prob. so i'll check the frame while the pannels are off. to remove the pannels is it just a matter of prizing off the clips and removing the opening and closing handles. do i need to remove the locking button it seems to be well fixed in there somehow. they are electric locks on an xs90 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenf Posted February 6, 2008 Share Posted February 6, 2008 The drivers door on my 2002 90CSW has just started rattling really loudly from underneath my right elbow, could this be a broken frame (the vehicle has 6 months warranty remaining from the LR main dealer I bought it from)? Edit - the interior trim panel is loose around the rear edge.. Thank you for that, all power to my debate with the Land Rover dealer. It sounds like yours is the same. Best Regards Ok, I've taken the interior trim panel off mine - and the door frame is NOT cracked. Rapping the door, panel off, with my knuckles makes the rattling sound, something is definitely loose, maybe a lock rod. And the trim panel is flappy at the rear - I guess this is one of those Land Rover build quality moments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenf Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I had another look today - the door has been repaired before, the plastic sheeting has been stuck back on with tacky mastic: The frame by the lock knob isn't cracked: Here's what is rattling - the 10mm bolt wasn't loctited during the previous repair hence the inner frame was loose and rattling at the bottom: The interior trim panel was loose because most of the clips were broken off where they attach to the trim panel - and most of the yellow clip mounts had the heads mashed up. At least the door doesn't rattle like a bad one now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tractor_morgan Posted February 7, 2008 Author Share Posted February 7, 2008 I had another look today - the door has been repaired before, the plastic sheeting has been stuck back on with tacky mastic: The frame by the lock knob isn't cracked: Here's what is rattling - the 10mm bolt wasn't loctited during the previous repair hence the inner frame was loose and rattling at the bottom: The interior trim panel was loose because most of the clips were broken off where they attach to the trim panel - and most of the yellow clip mounts had the heads mashed up. At least the door doesn't rattle like a bad one now. ]Hi, Thanks for the pictures. I'm not certain if the tacky mastic is a secondary repair, as this is the original stuff they use to fit the plastic sheet with. It isn't clear from the picture whether a welded repair has been carried out. IMHO the door trim panel has probably shed it's clips etc. because the bolt has come loose and this means that the interior trim was taking the shock of itself plus the loose door panel when being shut. I'm tempting to put a rivet nut into the door frame and a nice headed bolt/screw to hold the interior panel back to the frame in that corner, where it all seems to go wrong. Anyway, thanks again. Best Regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allenf Posted February 7, 2008 Share Posted February 7, 2008 I couldn't see any sign of the door being welded, but the trim and sheeting had that "interfered with previously" appearance which led me to assume the door had been in bits before, maybe for a new window or a lock problem etc. While we are here I am having a bit of a problem with the lock striker. The door needs a careful slam otherwise it bounces onto the safety catch (and always bounces first thing when the temp is freezing or below); if I adjust the striker out a fraction for an easy slam with no bounce the rear seals let too much air whistle through at speed (ye gods my old, caned and battered Volvo never did this...). The all-singing approved LR warranty specifically excludes lock strikers or hinges (it also specifically excludes water leaks but Lancaster did fix those foc..), so will a new striker fix the bounce? Edit - strikers are less than a fiver from Paddocks, the old one is visibly worn, I should just try one anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.